Changing Letters
by Sensula
Summary: Hogwarts students must exchange letters with assigned penpals but two of them have already written to each other. What happens when old penpals try to find out who each other is?
1. Chapter 1

Hermione flipped through the travel magazine her mother had subscribed to in the hopes of a vacation, though Hermione knew they would never go anywhere. Still, it was fun to look through, even for a ten year old girl. She turned the page and scanned the adds for nothing better to do. It was then that she saw the add for a pen pal.

_ Wanted: One penpal for bored ten year old boy who likes games, music, and reading. Required, know how to write and is funny. Write to Fluffy Bunny._ Under that was an address.

Hermione stared at it for a while. Someone posted a penpal add in a travel magazine? She'd read of penpal adds in the newspaper and had once thought of doing the same thing, but had pushed the idea aside. Just because she didn't have many friends didn't mean she was desperate enough to put out an add for one. Besides, she had little money to do so. But this person wanted a penpal and she was bored enough to respond.

She slid off her bed and walked over to her writing desk, sitting down in front of some notebook paper she'd left on her desk a while ago. Picking up her favorite writing pen, Hermione looked at the add. 'Fluffy Bunny.' An odd name to write to, but it was probably an inside joke or a name he'd picked at random.

_Dear Fluffy Bunny,_

_ I found your ad in the magazine. I'm a ten year old girl who's bored enough to write to you. I have to ask about your pen name. Is it an inside joke, or were you just that bored? Either way, you're stuck with it now. I know you want one penpal and I hope you choose me. I've got nothing else to do, really. School doesn't start for a few months. _

_ So, besides games, music, and reading, what do you like to do for fun? I read a lot, most call me a bookworm. But, other than that, my parents make me play the piano and I go swimming at the community pool. Not to brag, but I'm the best at the swan dive. Do you swim? There are some people out there who don't even know how to dog paddle._

_ I like singing, though I get teased that I wouldn't be able to carry a tune in a bucket with a handle. But I say they're just jealous of my beautiful talent. Do you sing? You said you liked music. What kind? Do you play any instruments? Are you even going to answer these questions?_

_ Well, I've written enough, it seems. I'll send you this letter and get on with it. Oh, I guess I better have a cool pen name, too, right? _

_ Well, that's all I've got to write,_

_ Signed,_

_ Bushy Cat_

Hermione read over her letter and folded it, slipping it into an envelope and writing the address on it. She walked downstairs and put it in the mailbox. Now, it was just waiting for a reply.

Five days later, she got a reply.

_Dear Bushy Cat,_

_ Really? That's the pen name you're going with? Well, I can't really complain. I chose mine out of boredom and I'm stuck with it, as you said. Anyway, I've chosen you as my penpal. Everyone else was just plain weird or creepy. Yours was the only one that sounded fun. _

_ So, to answer your questions, because it's a start. I can swim, I do sing, I like all kinds of music except rap and polka, and I can play the piano, violin, trumpet, clarinet, and the tuba (don't you dare make a joke about that). My parents thought I should learn a few instruments and I picked the tuba to make them angry. It worked. And then they wouldn't let me quit, so I am an avid tuba player. Which made me pick up the trumpet, then the clarinet, then the violin, and finally the piano. Weird, huh?_

_ Well, what about you? I know you can swim and do a swan dive and you can sing, though others think you can't. What are you, anyways? Alto? Soprano? How high can you get?_

_ Well, I'll leave you with a few questions you can answer. What do you look like? When's your birthday? Are you excited for school to start? What's your favorite subject? Do you like strawberry shortcake with whipped cream? That last one was just something random._

_ Hope to hear from you soon,_

_ Fluffy Bunny (you know, it's not so embarrassing anymore)_

Hermione smiled. This guy sounded fun. She looked at the paper and ran her fingers over it. Funny. This paper was thick and felt different than her notebook paper. Like construction paper only smoother. Maybe he was from a rich family or maybe he just liked this paper. Whatever the case, it was cool. She sat down and started writing a reply.

For the next two months, Hermione traded letters with Fluffy Bunny, becoming close friends. She was happy to receive his letters and read his letters with laughter when he told her something that had happened to him during the week. From his letters, she gathered that he was a rich kid with annoying parents that were rarely there and forced tradition on him, though he hated it. He was athletic and liked sports. But his favorite hobby was tormenting the servants, which served to make Hermione laugh when he told her about his antics. She thought she could go forever with just writing to her friend, but that changed when she received a letter on her eleventh birthday...by an owl. She was a witch and was going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; a world of magic. And she had to write the hardest letter ever to her friend, knowing she could never bring him with her into that world. How could she keep it from him? He was a muggle, if she used Professor Dumbledore's term correctly.

_Dear Fluffy Bunny,_

_ I laughed so hard over the rose garden incident you told me about in your last letter. Your poor gardener must hate you now, after painting all his red roses white. So Alice in Wonderland. But she painted the white roses red. But this has the Bunny touch._

_ I have terrible news, though. I'm being sent to a kind of boarding school for the next seven years. I'll be back during summer break, but I'm afraid I won't be able to continue writing letters anymore. Please don't ask why, it's just too complicated to explain. But just know that I will always keep your letters with me and think of you often. _

_ I will miss you terribly. Please don't forget me either._

_ Signed, for the last time,_

_ Bushy Cat_

Hermione folded the letter and put it in an envelope. After mailing it, she packed her school trunk of her school supplies and robes. When everything was packed and she'd locked her trunk, she looked at the pile of letters she'd received from her friend. They were stacked in chronologic order in a fake hollowed out book. She climbed into bed and pulled them toward her, rereading each one he'd ever sent. She fell asleep with them sprawled around her.

The next day, on the Hogwarts Express, she tried to find a place to sit, but everywhere was full and then a boy grabbed her to help find his toad. Great. First day and there was no where to sit and no one she knew. She wished Bunny was here.

She pushed open a door and found two boys, one a redhead and the other black haired, eating some sweets. "Have you see a toad? A boy named Neville has lost his," she asked. They shook their heads. "Drat. Well, thanks," she said, turning to go, but she ran into someone. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"Watch where you're going," the boy snapped.

Hermione looked up at him and took in his slicked blond hair and expensive looking robes. She met his eyes and, not in the mood to play nice or timed, snapped, "Attitude, much? Who do you think you are?"

The boy lifted an eyebrow at her. "I'm Draco Malfoy," he said, as if she was expected to know who he was. "Who are you?"

"Hermione Granger," she said. She was about to leave, then asked, "Have you seen a toad, by any chance?"

Draco looked at her like she'd lost her mind. "No. Why would I be looking for a toad?"

"Some kid lost it," Hermione said. "Duh." She turned and left. Wow, that guy was full of himself. She hoped she never had to deal with him.

**Seven Years later **

Hermione stared at Professor McGonagall as she stood in the middle of the Gryffindor common room. "I'm sorry, professor," Dean Thomas said. "Could you repeat that?"

The woman nodded and said, "As Headmistress, I have come up with a new program. Too many things have been left unsettle after the war. Inner house cooperation is crucial. We need to be one big happy school. So, you will all be assigned a penpal. You will correspond with this person, without knowing their identity, for the entire year with at least one letter per week. You are not allowed to share who your penpal truly is with anyone if you find out who they are, nor are you allowed to show people your letters. And don't try reading them out loud, either. There are certain spells that prevent that. You need only write a letter and send it with a school owl and the owl will take it to your penpal. Aliases are mandatory, as is full cooperation. Anyone not participating will receive detention for each letter not sent. Also, you are not allowed to ask your penpal who they are or what house they are in. Now, I hope you all understand this, for I will bid you goodnight." With that, she turned on her heel and left.

There was silence for a few moments, then people started talking at once.

"She's gone bonkers," Ron said from the couch, his arm draped around Hermione's shoulders.

They'd hooked up after the battle, willing to try a relationship. So far, nothing had changed from being friends, except kissing. Big whoop. It wasn't even that good. No rush like there'd been during the battle.

Hermione stared at the fire. Pen pals. How long had it been since she'd had a pen pal? Written a letter and waited anxiously for the reply? She still had all of Fluffy Bunny's letters in her fake book upstairs. She read them whenever she felt down or missed him, which had been a lot during their hunt for the horcruxes. Many times, she'd itched to write him a letter, telling of her adventures and what her new world was like. But, each time, she'd stopped herself, knowing he couldn't know of this world. Then she'd curl up under the covers and read her letters again. She missed having a pen pal. Now, she could do it again.

"Hermione!" Harry yelled.

She jumped and looked up at him. "What?" she asked.

"I've been trying to get your attention for the past three minutes," he said. "What were you thinking about?"

Hermione shook her head. She'd never told Harry and Ron about Fluffy Bunny. They would have thought she was stupid for caring so much for a pen pal that she hadn't even talked to in seven years. "Sorry," she said. "Just thinking about what I'm going to write."

Ron snorted. "This is a dumb idea," he said. "Writing to someone in another house? How is that going to promote inner house cooperation? You don't even know what house they're in."

"It'll work," Hermione said. "I have faith in McGonagall's idea...tough I'm not sure how she came up with it."

"Probably got bored," Harry said.

Ginny giggled from where she was curled into Harry's side. "What is your pen name going to be?" she asked. "I'm thinking I should go for something like 'Hot Red'."

"That sounds like a car," Ron said. He'd recently become addicted to muggle car magazines. There was a huge pile of magazines covering the floor of his room back at the Burrow.

"I like it," Harry said.

"Harry, your name should be 'Fabulous Kisser'," Ginny said.

Hermione laughed. "Wouldn't it be awkward if he got a guy, though, and that guy started to flirt with him?" she said.

Harry flinched a bit, then shook his head. "Really bad image, Mione. Thanks."

Hermione smiled. "Anytime, Harry," she said.

"What's your name going to be?" Ron asked, looking down at her.

She shrugged. "I think I'll go with my old pen name of Bushy Cat," she said.

"What do you mean 'old pen name'? And why 'Bushy Cat'? Your hair's nice and sleek, now," Ron said, running his fingers through it.

Hermione paused for a moment, cursing herself for the slip up. Well, now was as good a time as ever to tell them. "When I was ten, I answered an add in a magazine for a pen pal. The boy had been bored and gone by the name 'Fluffy Bunny', so I'd chosen a weird name, as well. Bushy Cat was all I could think of," she said.

"What happened?" Ginny asked.

Hermione sighed. "I got my letter to Hogwarts and had to stop. There was no way to explain this world to him and I couldn't keep it from him. So I told him I couldn't write to him anymore." She smiled sadly, remembering the letter. She shook her head, clearing the sad memory, and smiled brighter. "Now I can have a pen pal again."

Ginny smiled. "I wonder who we'll get," she said.

The rest of the evening was spent guessing who they'd get, a game that brought the rest of the common room to their group. After a few hours, Hermione went up to her room and began her letter.

_Dear Penpal,_

_ This is a weird assignment, I think. But it works. I mean, just write a letter and avoid detention. Well, I guess I better ask some questions. Since I can't ask who you are, or what house you are, I'll just ask simple questions. What is your favorite subject? Which subject do you hate the most? What do you look like? Are you excited for the new school year? Can you sing? Do you like strawberry short cake with whipped cream? Just wanted to throw a weird question in there. _

_ So, you don't have to answer the questions, but it's a start, right?_

_ Now, I'm going to sign my pen name. It's one that I chose out of boredom, so deal with it._

_ It's Bushy Cat. Bye, now. Oh, I'm a girl, by the way._

Hermione dried the ink and folded it. She called for one of the school owls, a trick she'd learned a few weeks into her first year. A large grey barn owl stopped by her window and she tied the letter onto it's leg. With a hoot, it took off. Hermione watched it for a moment before going into the bathroom for a shower.

Blaise Zabini stared at the letter. Who was this Bushy Cat? Such a random person to ask if he liked strawberry short cake. Who would ask that? He had to agree with them, though. This was an easy assignment.

"Got your first letter already?"

Blaise looked up and smiled as Draco sat down on one of the leather couches. He wore a green t-shirt, black jeans, and a pair of black combat boots. Draco had taken to rebelling against his parents after the war by wearing muggle clothing. Blaise figured it was his way of punishing his parents for being so narrow minded about muggle-borns, a revelation Draco had had during his third year.

"Yeah," Blaise said. "She's so weird."

"Oh? You already know it's a she?" Draco asked, scratching his non gelled hair. "Wonderful detective work, Blaise."

Blaise chuckled, waving the paper. "She wrote that she was a girl," he said. "But she's really random. Just fired off a couple basic questions, then asked something completely off the wall."

Draco chuckled. "Sounds like you got a crazy one," he said. "But not as crazy as mine. She calls herself 'Stars' and she's definitely out there. Sent me a copy of the Quibbler. Definitely Luna Lovegood."

Blaise laughed. "Well, looks like McGonagall's plan for us not to find out who our pen pals are didn't work so well for you." He looked down at him and folded it up. "I don't know a damn thing about mine, though. She only signed it 'Bushy Cat'." Blaise looked up at his friend. Was it his imagination or did Draco just tense a bit?

Draco yawned and stretched his arms over his head. "I'm gonna head to bed," he said and left the common room.

Odd. It was the only thing Blaise could categorize is friend as being at that moment.

**Ha! You probably thought this was going to be like the other letter stories, where Hermione and Draco become assigned pen pals, right? Well, I thought of that and decided that I didn't want to do that. That's right. Full of twists, am I. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. **


	2. Chapter 2

Bushy Cat was at Hogwarts! Draco couldn't believe it. And it became harder to wrap his mind around that as he reread over her letters that he'd kept all these years. She was here. After receiving that heart breaking letter saying she couldn't write to him anymore and putting him in a right foul mood his first day on the train, she were right here. In Hogwarts. Hogwarts! He'd probably passed her and not even known. That just put him in a depressed mood.

Draco laid back on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Bushy Cat. He remembered waiting for her letters when he'd been younger. The ad had been his last attempt at getting a real friend as he'd always been surrounded by idiots like the late Goyle. But Bushy Cat had been a god send. Finally, he'd had someone to talk to and tell about what he was really thinking. She'd enjoyed his stories of terrorizing the house elves, though he'd called them servants, knowing that she was muggle. And then she'd said she was going off to a boarding school and couldn't-Wait a moment! Draco sat up quickly, earning a head rush. He clutched his forehead as the room span. Muggle. That meant Bushy Cat was a muggle born girl. His first clue to find out who she was. Now, all he needed to do was to have Blaise keep him in the loop of what she wrote to him. Or...maybe he could write a letter to her? And find out who it is tomorrow at breakfast. Perfect!

With thought firmly in hand, he rushed over to his writing desk and pulled out a piece of parchment. He stared at it for a moment, gathering his thoughts, and then started writing. After he was done, he looked over it, was glad to find no spelling or grammar errors, knowing how she hated those, and then called his owl to him. He tied it to the bird's leg and said, "Don't deliver this until tomorrow at breakfast. Alright, Orin?" The owl hooted and then left through a hole in the wall leading up to the surface.

Draco smiled to himself and then climbed into bed after kicking his boots off. He stared at the ceiling again. Bushy Cat. Soon he would know who she was.

A beeping sound hit Draco's ears and he grimaced. Why did he set the damn alarm? He jerked up in bed as he remembered. Bushy Cat! Right, he was going to finally know who she was. He looked at his alarm clock. Crap! The mail was going to be there in twenty minutes He jumped to his feet and pulled a school robe over his slept in t-shirt and pants, pulling on his boots and hastily tying them. He reached for his school bag and raced toward the door.

He was a blur as he ran down the stairs and through the common room. He sprang through the common room door and hurried out of the dungeons. He was a few feet from the Great Hall doors and could hear the owls starting to arrive, when Professor Slughorn appeared from another corridor and spotted him.

"Ah, good morning, Mr. Malfoy," he said. "I was wondering if you would have a moment."

Draco paused. He knew he couldn't blow this teacher off, knowing that his class was the first of the day and not wanting to get into trouble before the first bell. He looked at the Great Hall longingly and turned to the professor a little reluctantly. "Yes, Professor?" he said.

"Well," Slughorn said. "I am starting the Slug Club up again and thought you would have a few suggestions of who should be in it. You and Ms. Granger, of course, as well as Mr. Zabini. You three are the top of your class, so a given. Not to mention the famous Harry Potter. But I cannot, for the life of me, come up with a list. Would you mind brain storming a few candidates?"

Draco blinked at the odd request, but said, "Of course, Professor."

Slughorn smiled and clapped Draco on the shoulder. "Thank you, my boy," he said. "Much appreciated. Now, let's get some breakfast before potions class, shall we?" He walked past Draco and into the Great Hall.

Draco followed and frowned. The post had already come and gone, leaving letters and packages at the absent students' usual spots. Draco sat down at his spot and ripped open his letter, angry that he'd missed his chance to find Bushy Cat. He unfolded his letter and read it.

_Dear pen pal,_

_ This is my second letter to you. I sent this one right after the last, since the last was a copy of the Quibbler. What do you think about the article about the Horned Pixie Mice? My father wants to know. You probably know who I am, so it's fine. I'll probably know who you are when you write back. Well, enjoy the Quibbler._

_ Stars_

Draco rolled his eyes and shoved the letter in his pocket. He didn't bother to fold it. It didn't mean as much to him as Bushy Cat's. Geez. He had to stop thinking about her. He silently finished his breakfast and left, feeling terribly depressed and not wanting to talk to anyone else that day.

Hermione smiled at her pen pal's letter. It wasn't much, but it was a beginning.

_Bushy Cat,_

_ Weird name, but whatever. Well, I like Potions, hate History of Magic (snore fest), I'm extremely handsome and good looking, I'm not too excited about the school year (it's just school), can't sing worth a darn, and why do you want to know about shortcake? That's really random. You can answer the same questions. And I'm a guy._

_ Signed,_

_ Sexy Beast (yes, that is my pen name)_

Sexy Beast, huh? Didn't he think full of himself. Hermione folded the letter and slipped it into her bag before opening the other one. She nearly screamed in joy, but bit her lip just in time. It was from Fluffy Bunny!

_Dear Bushy Cat,_

_ It's been so long. I can't believe you're a witch. This is amazing. Now we can write to one another again. Just like the old days. Don't ask how I know that you're here. I have my ways. And, no, it wasn't from the house elves, though I'm tempted to paint the roses red again._

_ So, by now, you've figured that I'm a wizard and you can fill in the blanks from our past letters. And, just so you know, that last letter really hurt. I was so disappointed that I was in a mood all the next day on the train. I've kept every single letter you ever wrote. They're in a special box under my bed. If my room mates ever found them, they would never let me live down my old pen name. _

_ And I'm in _(here, it looked like he tried to write something else down, but couldn't) D_amn! I can't tell you what house I'm in. This stupid project of McGonagall's won't let me write who I am or what house I'm in, even though we're technically not assigned penpals. But don't worry, I plan on finding you at breakfast when my owl delivers this letter. _

_ Please write back, Cat. I've missed your letters._

_ Signed,_

_ Fluffy Bunny_

Hermione looked around frantically, looking for any sign of someone who was watching her. Unfortunately, no one was paying her any attention. They were all busy reading their own pen pal letters. Sighing, Hermione folded the letter with gentle fingers and slid it into a special pocket in her bag.

After seven years, she could write to Bunny again. Her childhood friend. He was at Hogwarts. What were the odds! Who was he, though? She'd probably seen him a dozen times and they'd never known. Not once. She could have even tutored them.

Hermione grinned down at her eggs. Bunny. So long.

"Hermione?" Ron said.

She looked up, still dreamy eyed. "Yes, Ron?" she asked.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'm just fine," she said. "I got a good letter."

"Must be one heck of a pen pal," Harry said, smiling.

Hermione nodded. "Yup," she said. She looked at her watch and gasped. "I'm going to be late for potions." She frantically began eating her food.

"Calm down, Hermione," Ron said. "We don't have to be there for another five minutes."

"You're on time if you're early and late if you're on time," Hermione said before dashing out of the Great Hall.

She raced down to the dungeons and paused outside the potion's room to catch her breath. She pushed the door open and slipped in quietly. Looking around, Hermione only saw Draco Malfoy sitting at a desk near the front, reading over a piece of parchment in his hands. He didn't seem to notice she was there. Quietly, so as not to disturb him, she sat down in a seat at the back, knowing that Ron and Harry were going to be her partners and they liked to sit at the back. She pulled out her potion's book, her notebook, her quill, and then Bunny's letter. She reread it and couldn't help but giggle. Just like Bunny to talk about the roses.

"Something funny, Granger?"

Hermione looked up and found Draco standing in front of her desk. She quickly put the letter in her bag and said, "A letter from my penpal. He's quite funny." She took him in, then. He was completely different than she remembered him last. Gone was the button up shirt and the perfect tie. He wore a dark green t-shirt and black pants with combat boots under his robe. His hair wasn't even slicked back like it had been. He looked like a normal muggle boy. "You look...different," she said. "In a good way," she added when his face changed to something that gave the impression that he didn't like her comment.

He shrugged and said, "Going against my old life, you could say."

Hermione blinked at the freely given information. That wasn't like the Draco Malfoy she remembered. There was no sneer or snide comment about her blood status. He even looked...open. No mask at all.

She couldn't hold the question back anymore. "Are you alright, Malfoy?" she asked. "You seem very different."

Draco shrugged again. Such an effortless motion, but seemed to look appealing on him. "I'm turning over a new leaf," he said. He tilted his head to the side and said, "Could you help?"

Hermione's mouth fell open, but she caught herself and said, "Uh..sure. How?"

"Just call me 'Draco'," he said. "It's a start."

She shook her head. "I don't think I can just start calling you 'Draco' out of the blue. I've always called you 'Malfoy'. I'll have to relearn," she said. Why was she taking this so easily? And she wasn't feeling any suspicious activity from him.

Draco nodded, considering what she'd said. Then, he smiled. "I know a way," he said. "It's what my one friend told me about. She said that, when she bit her nails, her parents demanded a coin from her so she would stop the habit. How about every time you call me 'Malfoy' instead of 'Draco', you owe me a sickle?"

Hermione blinked. That could actually work. But she was so use to 'Malfoy'. How was she to learn without going broke. Then the answer came to her. "Fine," she said, smiling. "But every time you call me 'Granger' instead of 'Hermione', you owe me a sickle. Deal?"

Draco smiled and nodded. He extended his hand. "Deal, Hermione," he said.

Hermione took his hand and said, "Deal, Mal-Draco."

He raised an eyebrow. "Darn. Almost got you," he said, smirking.

Hermione laughed. "I'm not going to lose that easily," she said, pointing a finger at him. Draco only smiled.

Just them, students began to walk in. They were chatting, but stopped when they saw Draco and Hermione talking as if they weren't enemies. They were frozen in place until Draco returned to his seat. Then they took their own and started talking in low voices, looking between the two of them. The class filled quickly, the gossip spreading like wildfire. By the time Harry and Ron came in, seconds before Slughorn, the whole class was a buzz about Draco and Hermione.

"What's wrong with the class?" Harry asked.

"Draco and I were talking about him turning over a new leaf and some of the others came in," Hermione said.

"You and Malfoy were talking? Civily?" Harry said in astonishment.

"Did you just call him 'Draco'?" Ron asked, jealously sending Draco a glare to the back of his head.

Hermione nodded. "Yes on both accounts," she said. "He said he wanted to turn over a new leaf and asked me to help by calling him 'Draco'. He said that every time I call him 'Malfoy', I owe him a sickle. But every time he called me 'Granger', he owes me a sickle."

"Now you're betting with him?" Ron said angrily.

Hermione stared at him. "I'm helping, Ron," she said. "Get over it. He wants to change. No, I won't forget what he was like in the beginning, but he changed sides, remember? He can change even more. Give him a chance."

Ron wasn't able to say anymore, for Slughorn started the class. "Now," he said. "Today, we will begin brewing healing potions. Madame Pomfrey has notified me that she is low on certain potions. Today, we begin with an easy fever reducing potion. It's on page 345. You will need partners,which I will assign now."

He read down the list on the parchment in his hands. "Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy," he called.

Hermione collected her things as the looks and gossip started up again. She ignored it, and the glare Ron was sending, and walked over to Draco's table. He smiled up at her and she sat down, turning on the flame under their cauldron. "I'll grab the ingredients," she said.

"I'll get the water going, then," Draco said, pulling out his wand.

Hermione nodded and headed to the supply pantry. She quickly got the things she need and returned to the table, ignoring the looks and murmurs that followed her. Draco looked up when she got near and took some of the bigger jars, setting them on the table. The gentlemanly action surprised Hermione for a moment before she took her seat.

They talked only for a few moments after adding the different ingredients at their respectable times. Soon, their potion had turned a light green color and smelled of peaches. Just like it was suppose to. They called Slughorn over and he smiled. "Excellent," he said. "Wonderful job, Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy. If you'll just put the lid on the caldron and set it up front with your names, you may leave early."

Draco wrote their names on a slice of parchment as Hermione put the lid on, and then they both left with their things. Hermione didn't miss the glare Ron threw at them. She knew it was for Draco, but she couldn't help but think it was meant for her, as well. Once they were out of range of the potion's room, Hermione let out the breath she was holding.

"You okay?" Draco asked, looking slightly concerned.

Hermione nodded, looking at him a bit uncertainly. "Yeah," she said. "Sorry. I'm just going to have to get use to you being nice, is all. I've got to adjust."

Draco nodded, not in the least bit hurt. "I figured that," he said. "Makes me wish that I had done things differently." He trailed off, his gaze fixed on a stone in the wall. His mind was wandering.

Hermione hated to interrupt him, but she reached out and patted his shoulder. He looked over at her. "You know, things will be rough at the beginning. But if you're serious about changing, just hang in there. Okay? It'll get better."

Draco smiled and nodded. "I should really thank you for your logic, Gr-Hermione," he said. He winked as if to say 'you almost got me'.

Hermione laughed and shook her head. "You'd be the first one," she said. "Everyone else doesn't really like it."

"They call you a know-it-all?" he asked, walking up the corridor. Hermione fell in step with him.

"Yeah," she said. "And yet they always come to me for homework problems."

Draco laughed, then and Hermione smiled. He had a nice laugh. It was smooth and silky. Almost like chocolate fondue. Then he snorted. Hermione giggled as he tried to hide his mouth, as if it could erase the snort.

He smiled, then laughed again. The two shared a laugh for a moment before calming down. They stared at each other and Hermione felt a sort of peaceful mist fall over them. This was strange and weird beyond anything she'd encountered, but it felt nice, as well. Comfortable. Like being in her favorite place; the library. She suddenly gasped.

"What?" Draco asked.

"I just remembered that there was a book I needed to check out," Hermione said, slapping her forehead. "I have to go get it for next class. I'll see you around, Draco?" She rushed off before getting a firm answer.

Draco just watched her retreat and said, sure she wouldn't hear, "Yeah, Hermione. Later."

"Great," Hermione said, popping her head around the corner. "I'll see you at lunch." Then she was gone again.

Draco only laughed and went outside to sit by the lake before his next class.

**Fun, right? Hope you enjoyed the chapter. **


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I'd like to thank The Puzzler of Riddles and peace-love-and-writing for their reviews. It helped me with the plot. Thanks again, guys. I appreciate the reviews and your take on the stories.**

Draco sat down in his seat for Transfiguration, rested his elbow on the desk, and propped his chin on his open palm. He hadn't lied to Grang- Hermione when he'd said he wanted to turn over a new leaf. He'd grown up with the blood superiority snobbish attitude for so long that he'd believed all of it. But he hadn't always been like that.

When he'd been younger, and his father had been drilling into his mind about blood superiority, Draco had looked through a muggle magazine Lucius had brought for 'teaching material'. He'd spotted an ad to sign up for a penpal by just submitting a small description of yourself and what you wanted in a penpal. At the time, he hadn't really cared, taking his father's teachings seriously. But then he'd wondered about what a real muggle would be like. Were they really as stupid and inferior as his father said? So, he'd written a neutral add and told a house elf to deliver it to the magazine without being seen. To be honest, he hadn't expected a response. I mean, not many actually answer ads, right?

That's why it had been a surprise when he'd received a letter back. Bushy Cat. She hadn't been anything like his father said muggles were like. She had sounded smart and with something to say. Not a bit brainless like his father said. Draco had been curious, so he'd written back. Before he knew it, he had a muggle penpal. He'd kept it a secret from his father and though he had been scared Lucius might find out one day, he had continued to write. Draco had felt like he had a real friend in Bushy Cat. He laughed at her jokes and had never felt he needed to put on a mask to please her.

It had almost killed him to get that letter from her, saying they couldn't write anymore. He'd closed that part of himself off, not wanting to be that vulnerable anymore. Draco had locked that part away and become what his father wanted; a pureblood who was prejudice against muggles and muggleborns. For years, he'd been that person and hadn't really thought much of it. It was just a part to play, right? But the war had come and things had changed. His part had become a pawn and that wasn't him. His identity crisis hadn't been too pleasant, either; when he'd fought with himself over what he was going to do about Dumbledore. He'd been lost, the only thing keeping him going had been the letters. They were now worn and crumpled around the edges with a few stains from where he'd held it, reading the words and wondering what Bushy Cat was doing now.

And now she was here. It was like a wish come true. But Draco didn't know if he could be as open with her as he once was. He wasn't even sure if the part Bushy Cat remembered was still there. He didn't know if Fluffy Bunny had survived all these years and after the war. It was possible that Fluffy Bunny had died long ago. Draco truly didn't know. He didn't know a lot of things now a days.

"You think too hard and your head will explode, Malfoy," Ron said as he sat down at a desk.

Draco blinked slowly, bringing himself back to the present and out of his thoughts. "I'm sure you'd enjoy that, Weasley," he said in a calm voice. Usually, he would have shot a comeback at the redhead, but he just didn't feel like it anymore. It wasn't something that he felt up to.

Ron must have noticed because he said, "What's wrong, Malfoy? Ferret got your tongue?"

Draco bit the inside of his cheek, the pain keeping him in check. Weasley was getting on his nerves with just his annoying voice, but Draco was trying to stay calm and keep his retort in his mouth. Granger- No. Hermione wouldn't be very happy if he insulted her friends right after he'd said he wanted to change. So he kept his mouth shut and stared ahead as the room began to fill up.

He looked around, expecting to see Hermione walk in, but she was no where to be found. Blaise walked in and took the seat next to Draco. "Hey, man," he said. He noticed him being quiet. "You okay? Potions with Granger didn't get you down, did it?"

Draco almost smirked at the caring tone. Ever since Blaise had started dating Pansy, he'd been trying to be more 'sensitive'. Or trying to at least pretend to care. It was quite comical to Draco, who knew that Blaise was full of it. "You know," Draco said. "You might want to work on the tone. I can still hear you not caring."

Blaise chuckled. "It's seems to get Pansy off my back," he said. "I love the girl, but when she's prattling on about something that I can't stand, my 'understanding expression' usually works." He leaned forward, lowered his eyebrows slightly, and gave a slight nod.

Draco snorted. "And that works?" he said. "I'm sorry to tell you, my friend, but Pansy never falls for that. Don't worry, though. If she lets you do that, she likes you."

"You're encouraging," Blaise said. Draco rolled his eyes. "No, really. You should sell anti pep talks. Guaranteed to make you feel worse than you already are."

Draco rolled his eyes again, but with a slight smile on his face. He looked around and noticed that Hermione wasn't there and neither was the professor. The class was to have started ten minute ago and, without the professor's presence, the students milled around desks, talking. A few girls were sitting on the desk tops, their legs crossed so their skirts fell back to reveal even more leg and skin.

At one time, Draco would have been interested, but he'd lost interest lately. Not because he couldn't...you know, get it up, or that he didn't like girls, because he did; but they just didn't capture his attention. He noticed when they were attractive, but that was quickly overlooked or forgotten when they were out of eye sight. It was a drastic change from what he'd been like, but then, everyone was different. For instance, the girl sitting closest to him with the skirt three inches too short, was Mary Shubaker from Hufflepuff and had been the most reserve girl Draco had ever known. Now, she was flirting with Dean Thomas and flipping her long auburn hair over her shoulder.

"Take your seats," McGonagal said, strolling down the aisle with her robes billowing out behind her. Students scrambled to their seats as the professor continued. "I apologize for my lateness. Now, if you will all open your books to Chapter 23. We will be working on human transfiguration. No, we will not be turning people into animals or desks. We will only be learning how to change a person's hair color. Tomorrow we will change the color of someone's eyes."

Draco pulled out his quill and parchment as McGonagal turned to the board. He started taking notes, mostly going on auto pilot. He'd learned this spell a while back, but the note taking was just something to keep his hands occupied. He looked around at everyone else and saw Hermione one desk over and two desks down. She must have come in after the professor.

Draco studied her. Really studied her. Her brown hair had been tamed and was pulled into a wavy ponytail at the back of her neck, a few strands sliding over her shoulder as she bent her head over her parchment. Her hand raced across the paper, scribbling notes like a professional. Draco bet she had good penmanship. Anything sloppy just didn't fit with Hermione's studious character.

Hermione moved the parchment to write on the next section and said something to Weasley, who was trying to talk to her. She shook her head and looked up at the board, her eyes scanning over the next line of notes. Weasley leaned closer to her and she shook her head again, starting to get agitated at the disturbance. Looked like he wasn't going to leave her alone and even Draco knew that she was extremely focused on her studies. Like she had something to prove to everyone. Draco got that. It was hard to change what people thought until you forced them to deal with a change.

He watched her for a while, then turned to the front as McGonagal addressed the class. "Now, we shall break off into groups of three. One person will be the caster, one shall be the one being spelled, and the last one will write down notes. Rotate until everyone has their own notes and has cast their spells. I leave the pairing up to you."

Draco turned to Blaise and his friend nodded. Well, that was one. He just needed someone else. Blaise looked over Draco's shoulder and raised an eyebrow. Draco gave a slightly confused look and then noticed that the room had gotten quiet. He turned around and saw Hermione standing by his desk with her school bag over her shoulder.

"Hermione," he said in greeting. He noticed Blaise's eyes widen slightly.

"Draco," she said. "Mind if I work with you and Blaise?"

Draco looked around her and at Weasley and Potter. The redhead looked angry but at least Potter looked confused. It was interesting that he noticed Potter was very level headed. Rarely did Potter jump to rash decisions. He'd proven that during the war and Draco had respect for him. "Not going to work with Weasley and Potter?" Draco asked. There was not malice or arrogance in his tone. Just curiosity.

Hermione shrugged. "I usually do, but I want to get this spell right. No offense to either of them, but Ron doesn't do much work and Harry sort of goofs off with Ron. Besides, if we're going to be civil to each other, might as well get people familiar with seeing us being polite, right?"

Draco nodded at the logic and said, "Well, pull up a seat. Oh, I owe you a sickle."

"You haven't called 'Granger'," she said, pulling up a piece of bench and sitting down.

"I thought it," he said.

"Does that even count?" Hermione asked, pulling out a fresh sheet of parchment, her quill, and her wand.

"We never came up with rules," Draco said.

"What are you talking about?" Blaise asked, staring at them as if they'd announced they were griffins in disguise. It was understandable. For years, they'd fought with each other like cats and dogs. Now, they're suddenly civil? It was suspicious.

Hermione turned to Blaise and smiled. It was a nice smile. "Draco wanted my help to turn over a new leaf. But it's hard to do that without some incentive. So, we made a deal. It's small. We call each other by our first names and if we call each other 'Granger' or 'Malfoy', we owe each other a sickle."

"Then I say you should count the thoughts," Blaise said. "Anything to get money out of him."

Hermione's lips twitched and then she opened her book. "So, who is going to be the Guinea pig first?"

"Can I change Draco's hair pink?" Blaise asked. He didn't wait for a reply. He pulled out his wand and flicked it as he muttered the incantation, and laughed as Draco's hair turned a shocking hot pink.

Draco's hand went to his hair and he glowered at his friend. Really? How immature could a guy get? He turned to look at Hermione and saw that she held a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. Her eyes were crinkled slightly as she tried to hide her smile, but she started to giggle softly. It wasn't a mocking laugh or one meant to ridicule. It was a giggle that sounded cheerful and happy. Draco thought it was kind of refreshing.

"Okay," Draco said in a quiet voice. "Change it back before people notice."

"Sorry, mate," Blaise said. "I wasn't paying attention to that part of the class." He didn't even bother hiding his smile.

Draco frowned and said, "Funny. You should be a comedian."

"And my first joke will be about this very situation," Blaise said. "You think I should start now? I mean, the class might enjoy a good joke."

Draco opened his mouth to growl something, but Hermione stepped in. "I'll do it, Draco," she said, lifting her wand. She gently tapped his hair with the tip and spoke the reversing incantation. Draco saw his hair turn back to its original color from the corner of his eye as he stared at her. She stared back with a friendly smile.

"Thanks," Draco murmured.

"You look terrible in pink," she said. "Now, Blaise, I believe you would look fantastic with a new hairdo."

"It's not going to be too ridiculous, is it?" he asked, looking at her wearily.

Hermione raised her wand. She smiled and flicked the tip at him. Draco stared, then burst into laughter. The sound bounced off the walls and cut through the class' noise. Everyone turned to their table, shocked to hear Draco laughing up a hernia. They ended up laughing their asses off and Ron even fell off his chair.

"What?" Blaise said. He conjured a mirror and looked at his reflection. He yelled and looked at Hermione. "I look like some old guy from a painting! Hermione, how could you?"

She smiled and Draco looked at his friend's hair. She'd charmed his hair into a big bump and piled high on his head, the sides curled out, and the color as white as powder. Blaise looked as if he'd just come from a Renaissance lord's salon parlor. In short, he looked like a complete idiot.

Hermione blinked innocently and said, "I'm learning a new spell, Blaise. There are a few kinks that need to be worked out. I'm sure I'll be able to fix it. Maybe."

"Maybe?" Blaise yelped, obviously panicking. "I have a date tonight with Pansy. She'll never go for this. And I am not going to go out of here with this hair. It's bad enough that the class is laughing."

Draco saw Hermione's eyes soften and she undid the spell, returning it to it's short cut and dark color. He slowly calmed himself and waited as McGonagal calmed the class down. "Sorry, Blaise," Hermione said with an apologetic smile. "But you deserved it."

The bell rang and they were dismissed. Blaise stood up, grabbed his things, and turned to Draco. "So not cool that you befriended the smart girl," he said.

"You're just mad that you didn't do it first," Draco said. Blaise looked offended for a second. One second. Then he shrugged and nodded before leaving.

Draco looked at Hermione, who was collecting up her things, and said, "Hey...thanks, Hermione."

She looked up, her school bag on her shoulder and her school robe hung over her arm. She smiled and nodded. "Well, I don't think the pink hair joke would have been any good," she said. "And Blaise sucks at telling jokes."

Draco gave a short laugh and grabbed his things. "Yeah," he said. "Never ask him about the giant and the lake monster. Doesn't end well."

Hermione giggled. "Hermione, you coming?" Ron asked. They both looked over at him. The redhead was impatient; his body language was stiff and his arms were crossed as if defensive about his relationship with Hermione. It was ridiculous to Draco, but he could understand.

"Weasley's getting angry," Draco said.

Hermione nodded and started to go. She took one step, then paused. Turning to him slightly, she said, "You know, I think we should count the thinking part in our deal. If we can't think the name, it'll be hard to actually say them. But, to be fair, it'll start now. Deal?"

Draco smiled at her logic. "Deal," he said. "And...thanks for helping me. With the hair thing and with working with me. I appreciate it."

Hermione smiled and touched his forearm in a caring gesture. "No problem," she said and then joined Weasley at the door. The redhead lowered his head slightly toward her and started talking. Probably ragging on her about working with Draco instead of him. It was fairly predictable, but Draco guessed that there would be a lot of that by the time lunch came around. He looked at his schedule and headed toward is next class.

**AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The updates on this and my other stories will be later delayed until I am done with a previous engagement that will last two months. I have not abandoned any of my stories and I just want you to know that.**


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